Following Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s 2026 Budget Speech, political parties and community organisations have offered a divided response. While some praised the commitment to infrastructure maintenance, others slammed the speech as a “missed opportunity” to enforce consequence management for failing municipal officials.
Democratic Liberal Congress (DLC) Leader, Patrick Pillay, welcomed the emphasis on infrastructure development, noting that it aligns South Africa with global trends and fosters job creation.
“I support the increase of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP),” Pillay stated. “Any budget allocation that enhances our children’s livelihoods is commendable and leads to optimum educational results.” He also noted that tax reforms would provide much-needed relief for workers’ pockets.
However, Pillay expressed concern over the R80 increase for pensioners (bringing the total to R2,400), arguing it fails to help them overcome rising costs. He further criticised the stagnant Special Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, stating, “A nil increase has collapsed all hope for the poor. It is a pity the Government of National Unity (GNU) did not get it right this time.”
ActionSA KZN Provincial Chairperson, Zwakele Mncwango, acknowledged the government’s attempt to protect social spending but questioned the state’s ability to deliver.
“The real question is not what is written in the Budget Speech, but whether implementation capacity exists,” said Mncwango. He highlighted the lack of consequence management for municipal mismanagement and the desperate need for urban resilience in disaster-prone areas like eThekwini. “Without institutional reform, these allocations risk becoming mere numbers on paper.”
Allison Schoeman, Chairperson of the Bluff Ratepayers and Residents Association (BRRA), argued that the budget failed to establish a hard consequence framework for officials presiding over service collapse.
“The constraint isn’t only ‘how much money’; it’s whether projects get built, maintained, and protected from leakage,” Schoeman said. She pointed out that despite R1 trillion being earmarked for infrastructure, basic services like water, electricity, and refuse removal have not recovered. Schoeman urged the government to transition from dependency to skill-based employment: “The government must teach people a skill and place them in a job—not just a project or programme.”
Dawie Roodt, Chief Economist at the Efficient Group, offered a more optimistic view, noting that fiscal accounts are healthier due to better-than-expected tax revenue.
“There is more emphasis on infrastructure and more money available,” Roodt observed. He encouraged the government’s move to involve the private sector but maintained that economic growth is the only sustainable solution. “Growth will decrease the number of people who are dependent on grants,” he concluded
